What Should I Do With My Defective TRX1? Any Suggestions?

tvengr

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It you have to enter a frequency 3.125 KHz higher to receive a frequency, I would suspect the firmware may be corrupted. Try reloading the firmware. Make sure you are using TRX-1 EZ-Scan and not the TRX-1e ES-Scan. Make sure you are using the TRX-1 firmware and not the TRX-1e firmware. Make sure you are using the United States band plan. Swapping SD cards will show if it a programming problem or something else.
 

Ubbe

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Well, I highly doubt that. I don't think they have a 3.125 Khz step size option on this TRX radio.

If you enable flexstep in the TRX's global settings it will tune with half the step size of what are set in its bandplan.

The user manual says:
450.00625-512.000 MHz.......................(in 6.25 kHz steps/FM)

But the latest bandplan I got from Whistler to edit has the US one set as:

450.003125470.0000003.125FM

So I would say you have different firmware versions in the two scanners. Try loading the latest firmware to the one you have bandplan issues with. With each new firmware version there's a new EZ-Scan program that has to be used.

As the latest firmware has 3.125KHz as a step size, then when enable flexstep it will do it's smallest step that might be 2.5KHz.

You have to use service software to tune the frequency oscillator in the scanner if it actually have drifted off frequency. If you have enabled ZM ZeroMatic it will not open squelch on any signals off frequency, so try that disabled. If you listen to a data signal with the squelch set to zero and in analog mode, then enable flexstep and in tune mode Fn+0 you tune back and forth and try to hear where the middle of the signal are, if it sounds the same if you go one or two steps lower as when you go one or two steps higher in frequency.

/Ubbe
 

Rishayan

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Hershey, Pa.
If you enable flexstep in the TRX's global settings it will tune with half the step size of what are set in its bandplan.

The user manual says:
450.00625-512.000 MHz.......................(in 6.25 kHz steps/FM)

But the latest bandplan I got from Whistler to edit has the US one set as:

450.003125470.0000003.125FM

So I would say you have different firmware versions in the two scanners. Try loading the latest firmware to the one you have bandplan issues with. With each new firmware version there's a new EZ-Scan program that has to be used.

As the latest firmware has 3.125KHz as a step size, then when enable flexstep it will do it's smallest step that might be 2.5KHz.

You have to use service software to tune the frequency oscillator in the scanner if it actually have drifted off frequency. If you have enabled ZM ZeroMatic it will not open squelch on any signals off frequency, so try that disabled. If you listen to a data signal with the squelch set to zero and in analog mode, then enable flexstep and in tune mode Fn+0 you tune back and forth and try to hear where the middle of the signal are, if it sounds the same if you go one or two steps lower as when you go one or two steps higher in frequency.

/Ubbe
OK, thank you very much. I will try downloading the latest firmware version from EZ scan to see if that helps. And I will turn zeromatic off. When I get a chance I will do these things. Thanks again.
 

Rishayan

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It you have to enter a frequency 3.125 KHz higher to receive a frequency, I would suspect the firmware may be corrupted. Try reloading the firmware. Make sure you are using TRX-1 EZ-Scan and not the TRX-1e ES-Scan. Make sure you are using the TRX-1 firmware and not the TRX-1e firmware. Make sure you are using the United States band plan. Swapping SD cards will show if it a programming problem or something else.
OK. someone else also suggested that. So I will try to download the latest firmware from EZ scan to see if that helps. Maybe it will bring back the missing P2 reception also. Thank you.
 

Rishayan

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It's actually all In good fun. Glad you took it the right way, I couldn't resist.

Yeah we're in the same age group, I graduated high school 1971 but was swl, CB and slide rule dial monitoring in the mid-60s LOL. Dad and uncle were both ham radio operators.

As you can see I'm from Bucks County and STARnet is pretty useless to me, even our state park rangers are encrypted. I guess I could listen to DOT.

My entire area is tdma Phase ll.. police are of course, encrypted.

You're being honest by not selling the radio to someone unless you basically give it away, I don't use my TRX 1 anymore, but I'm not going to sell it. Nifty little radio since it was the GRE PSR 800, good luck trying to figure out the steps issue..

You got some good people here on your thread.. Bob.
Yea, that's too bad about everything being encrypted in Bucks County. Fortunately, when I was in Houston, there is still a lot of unencrypted PD activity in Harris County, and actually in the entire region except for upscale Montgomery County(Conroe Tx.), where all PD, and even many of the school buses are even encrypted. I have noticed a lot of PD encryption in the counties around Philly, except for Chester and maybe Delaware. When it warms up a bit, I am planning to get my free senior bus pass from SEPTA, and then spend some time in the Philly area doing my radio studies. Even despite the encryption, there is still an awful lot of communications to hear, if one knows where to look for it. And south of Philly, along the delaware coast, are great places for monitoring summertime groundwave skip up and down the Atlantic coast. Yes, it's true about the good people on the thread. Even though I studied electronics in my youth, todays super advanced technologies sometimes makes me feel like I just walked out of the jungle! If a radio doesn't work right today, it may just be easier to toss it, and buy another!!😜😜. Well, I am a firm believer in respecting our elders, and so you gain the honor over me, as I am just a ""young"" old man, graduating in 1973, two years younger than you!!!!😊😎
 

Rishayan

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Worst case, you can send it to Whistler for repair. The flat rate is $120 and they turned my bad TRX-1 around in 9 days total, door to door. Works perfect now next to my other two TRX-1's.
Bob
OK. Thanks for the idea. $120 isn't too bad. I might consider that. Although I like the SDS100, the TRX1 does have certain advantages over the SDS100, which is why I bought the second one in the first place. Maybe I'll do that. Thanks!
 

Rishayan

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Please let us know if that works. I also have a P2 issue with mine.

Thanks,
Well, I got good news and bad news. The good news is that I did a firmware and a database update on my defective TRX1, and now, it DOES receive P2 transmissions, loud and clear. I just wish that I could go back to Texas now to see if it will now receive the P2 TRS of the Texas WARN system, which previously it didn't hear a peep! The bad news is that it is still reading 3.125khz high the frequencies on the UHF band(only). However, when I import from the library systems that are on the UHF(450 Mhz) band, it DOES receive them on their correct frequencies. So...I guess I won't throw this TRX1 in the garbage yet!!
 

KevinC

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Well, I got good news and bad news. The good news is that I did a firmware and a database update on my defective TRX1, and now, it DOES receive P2 transmissions, loud and clear. I just wish that I could go back to Texas now to see if it will now receive the P2 TRS of the Texas WARN system, which previously it didn't hear a peep! The bad news is that it is still reading 3.125khz high the frequencies on the UHF band(only). However, when I import from the library systems that are on the UHF(450 Mhz) band, it DOES receive them on their correct frequencies. So...I guess I won't throw this TRX1 in the garbage yet!!
I have somewhat/sort of the same issue with my PSR-800. Try enabling or disabling FlexStep (do the opposite of whatever it is now) and see if that helps.
 

Rishayan

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I have somewhat/sort of the same issue with my PSR-800. Try enabling or disabling FlexStep (do the opposite of whatever it is now) and see if that helps.
Yea I did that. It had flexstep enabled when I got it, and so I disabled it, but still no change in the erroneous frequency readout on UHF. Thanks.
 

Rishayan

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Before you throw it away DM me and I'll pay shipping so you can send it to me :)
jajaja.....OK....Don't worry, I won't throw it out. Several years ago, I threw out (literally), a Uniden BCD436, because it had lost all sensitivity. The only thing I could get was the NOAA station, and that was very weak. I use my radios on a daily basis, quite hard, so I guessed that it had just pooped out! I tried it over a period of several days, and nope, the sensitivity was gone. It wasn't receiving anything...so, to the trash!, just like an old pair of tennis shoes!...That's when I bought my first SDS100.
 

trentbob

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Hey, stop trying to out bid me :)
Free shipping is not a bid, I really meant, literally, adding on a few bucks🤣.

That's a bid... again, @Rishayan, we are just kidding with you but to answer your original question...

As has been said, things might not be as defective as you think. I'd hang onto the scanner.

If anything, in the future, if you are not able to resolve issues on your own, the display itself.. just think of all the parts the radio is worth if Whistler was not around.

I'll never sell mine, even if it never comes out of the drawer again.
 
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